Dudley and Piers- A story of Unrequited Love
by FeeBe
Summary: As it says on the tin. Written for the Quotey Pairing Challenge. Quote- The one you love and the one who loves you are never, ever the same person- Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters


Piers remembered time in two distinct portions that before Dudley and that time after he had met Dudley. You see now that they were 16, nearly 17, he was more aware of the way the world worked. And the way the world of Privet Drive, and the surrounding florally named streets, worked was equivalent to the ocean, where the big fish ate the little fish. Piers could now admit that without Dudley he would have been one of the little fish.

He remembered his old prep school, before he and his mother had moved into the Neighbouhood. He had always been a small child, and in the push of shove of nursery school he had been shoved around….a lot. That was until he moved.

On the first, he had somewhat accidentally tripped over another small and pushed him to the ground. The silly boy didn't even cry or make a noise. Next thing Piers knew, there was Dudley, reaching down from what seemed to be an immense height to offer his hand to pull Piers up.

"You push Harry!, Good Boy!" grunted the larger child, aiming a rough kick in the direction of the afore mentioned Harry.

And that was all it took. They had remained firm friends ever since.

Piers didn't know when things had changed. What moment led to his realisation that he wanted more the friendship. It had definitely been sometime in the last year or two or three. After the summer where Dudley had been on a restricted eating plan, Piers ears still burned from the heated expletives his friend had uttered, when Piers' mum had refused to give him biscuits and sweets because Petunia had informed her of the diet. Or it could have been sometime in the school year, certainly Dudley taking up boxing had vastly improved his physique and more then one girl on campus had been see to look over the boy, but something always turned them away.

Something had always turned them away, until now. And it might be this last thing that had made Piers realise his own feelings you see. There had been a incident half way through the holidays, it had been weird, one freezing cold night in the middle of July. The gang had been just been hangout, rumbling the younger kids for money, but nothing too interesting, and smoking the cigarettes that Dennis had managed to filch from the pocket of his fathers jacket. They had decided to split earlier than usual, because there was an odd feel to the air. Malcolm, who they had always joked was a bit psychic, said that something was going to happen and they had best get home before the temperature dropped or they would be in trouble. The others laughed that perhaps Mr Corbin who had been a Bobby before he retired was going to get drunk again and pull out his old gun as he did every now and then. So the boys went home and Piers had thought nothing more of it. But something had happened.

He didn't see Dudley again until school went back that, and by then the boy had changed. It was strange and made Piers' chest ache. Dudley stopped now before he spoke. He didn't get mad at the drop of the hat, he had even been to see the counsellor who was on campus. Anger issues he said when he had been pressed, something to do with his cousin.

And wasn't that a turn up for the books. Piers had been bad mouthing Harry as he was want to do after the school holidays and Dudley had gotten quite cross.

"Don't speak about Harry like that Piers. It's not as if you really know him," the next part was so quiet that Piers nearly missed it. "and neither do I."

Still it didn't matter where this sudden bout of introspection came from, what mattered was it's affects. And the affects were that the girls weren't only looking at Dudley now. They actually came up and talked to him!

It really wasn't fair he, Piers, had been Dudleys friend first, but now when he had decided he would quite like to hold Dudley's hand, well maybe not that, they were manly men after all, but snogging looked like fun! Oh who was he kidding? Piers wanted all. The holding hands, the eating out, going to the movies. Argh.

And through all this where was Dudley?

Making eyes at Amanda Bicklestone, that's where. Having a picnic in the park of all things. Piers didn't see it going far and wondered if he would be brave enough tell Dudley how he felt when it fell to pieces. Remembering the puce colour Vernon's face had turned that time they saw two fellows kissing in street in London, he doubted it. Piers groaned and jammed his fists into his eyes before allowing himself to fall back onto his bed with a thump.


End file.
